


Night Exploration

by FallzVentus



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Halloween, Haunted Library, Haunted lab, Horror, Monsters, Panic Attacks, original creatures, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 00:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16482827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallzVentus/pseuds/FallzVentus
Summary: With Halloween falling in the middle of the week, it was hard to come up with something to do. Good think a creature of the night has a plan for three unsuspecting humans.





	Night Exploration

**Author's Note:**

> THIS TOOK ME ALL MONTH TO WRITE. The exhaustion was getting to me, but I was determined to finish this. I hope you all enjoy this. I might be missing some tags. If you want me to add a certain tag, don't be afraid to let me know.

Kane chuckled as he watched people walk by. Every single one of them was going about their day. They had no idea what was in stored for them. What scheme he had up his sleeve. Today was glorious day for mischief. A day where people like him came out to play. He watched patiently. Waiting for the perfect targets to appear. He couldn’t play with just anyone. They had to be perfect. They had to respond beautifully to what he had planned. 

A hiss gained his attention. He looked over to his left and saw a group of young adults. Students by the look of it. All of them were talking and laughing. About what was something Kane didn’t care about. He licked his lips and gave a toothy grin.    
  
Yes. They were perfect. Filled with just enough curiosity. Just enough overconfidence. They had all the ingredients he needed. 

Another hiss echoed in his ear. He looked around and found green eyes stared back at him. His smile never faltered.    
  
This was going to be a night to remember.

* * *

 

“Come on, Ian. You have to have some idea of what to on halloween night,” Darian said as he placed his soda down. The blonde haired young man shrugged looking at the darker blonde.

“Sorry man, but it’s the middle of the week. Hard to come up with something to do during a time like that,” Ian said.    
  
“Especially since we have classes,: the female in their group said. Darian rolled his eyes.    
  
“Please; other students are still doing stuff. Why should classes stop us?!”    
  
“Because finals are coming up.”    
  
“Cora, did I mention you are no fun at all? Where’s Jack when you need him?”    
  
“Off getting everyone’s food because all of you are lazy,” a young man with short brown hair said. Darian grinned as he saw the burgers.    
  
“Jack. My hero.”    
  
“You gonna declare your love for me?”    
  
“Maybe one day. Not today.” Darian picked up a burger. “Anyway, you’re the king of creepy. Wha-”    
  
“One; just because I love horror movies doesn’t mean I”m the ‘king of creepy’. Two; I’m actually going home for the day so I can’t help you with halloween plans.”    
  
“What?! WHo goes home on a Wednesday?!” Jack just calmly sipped his drink.    
  
“I go see my dad every Halloween. We used to celebrate together all the time.” Darian frowned.    
  
“Sorry man.”

“You didn't’ know. It’s fine. Anyway, why not just fo a movie marathon or something?” Ian sighed and grabbed some fries.

“Because we did that last year and Darian wants to do something new and exciting.” he said.    
  
“Then go exploring.”    
  
“What’s there to explore in this b-” Cora started.    
  
“Hey you guys hear about the chem lab?” a distant voice said. The group of students looked over to see people around their age walking by.    
  
“You mean the one next to the condemned library?”    
  
“Yeah. That one. I heard it’s haunted.”    
  
“Of course it’s haunted. It’s old and abandoned. Isn’t everything like that haunted?”    
  
“Yeah, but think about what’s in there! I want to check it out.”    
  
“Yeah, have fun with that.” The people kept walking. 

  
“Old chem lab? Condemned library? My first time hearing about those.” I an said. Darian hummed in agreement.    
  
“You guys are freshmen so you wouldn’t know. The library was condemned because of an awful smell. Probably because of the lab,” Jack said while crumpling his burger wrapper.    
  
“Of course you know about it,” Cora said. Jack shrugged.    
  
“I’ve been here loner and a simple google search can answer all your questions.”    
  
“What about the lab?” Darian asked trying to get back on topic.    
  
“The lab was used like any other chem lab, but there were rumors of some weird experiments happening there. There’s a secret passage that connects the two buildings.”    
  
“Secret passage?    
  
“An old evacuation tunnel.”   
  
“Ah,” Ian said.    
  
“It’s perfect!” Darian said with a grin on his face. Cora smacked him on the back of his head. 

“Are you insane? Condemned means dangerous you idiot, and what in ‘upcoming finals’ do you not understand?!” she said.    
  
“But we need to do something halloween night!”    
  
“Darian, why are you so obsessed with halloween this year anyway?” Ian asked.    
  
“I don’t know. We’re in college now. The best time of our lives. Our last stage of youth. Shouldn’t we do something to celebrate our youth or something like that?” Cora sighed.    
  
“You watch too many sappy movies. If you wanna do it, fine, but you’re on your own.”    
  
“Fine! Ian?” Ian put his hands up in surrencer.    
  
“Sorry man. I’m out.” Darian pouted.

“You guys suck.

* * *

 

Kane laughed. The seed was planted. It won’t be long before it was time to play. There was much to do before then. So much to prepare.    
  
He better get started.

* * *

 

Darian gulped as he looked at the boarded buildings before him. It was Halloween night at last. The perfect Halloween night at that. The wind was howling. The sky pitch black. Silence heard from every direction. He tooks a few deep breaths and went to move foward with flashlight in hand. 

A twig snapped. He quickly turned to his left and shined a flashlight in that direction. Behind his was Ian holding a flashlight of his own and shielding his eyes. Darian lowered his flashlight and smirked at his friend.    
  
“I thought you were out,” he said. Ian pouted.    
  
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on your dumb ass,” he replied. Darian chuckled.    
  
“Sure.”    
  
Another snapp. This time to the right. The two males aimed their flashlights in that direction. A yelp broke the silence followed by a thud. Cora was on the ground with a flashlight right next to her. She was rubbing her tailbone from the rough landing. Darian laughed.    
  
“Ms. Honor Student herself is even here,” he said shining a light on her. She glared at them.    
  
“Shut up! I knew you would come, so I came to stop you both,” she said while standing up. Dariand smirked.    
  
“Oh? Then why did you bring a backpack?” he said while pointing his light at the said item. Cora huffed and stood up. 

“In case you idiots went inside. It’d good to be prepared.” Ian sighed.    
  
“Just admit you’re curious too.”  Darian grinned.    
  
“This Halloween is gonna be great!” Cora sighed and placed the bag on her back.    
  
“It does beat doing homework.”    
  
Ian and Darian laughed. Cora couldn’t hold her scowl and ended up smiling at them. There was an itch they couldn’t scratch. The only way to deal with it was to go inside. Darian was the first to approach the building. By the look of it, it looked like entrance to the chem lab. He could hear the wind blow through the building. Rotting wood blocked the doorway. He placed his flashlight on the ground and started to pull. The wood wouldn’t budge.    
  
“A little help here?”he said. Cora rolled her eyes and went to help Darian get the wood off the door. The two pulled with all their might and the wood barely budged. Darian looked to Ian.    
  
“Well?” Ian shook his head.    
  
“I’m good. I rather not get tetanus.”    
  
Darian was about to retort, but the wood suddenly gave way. The two adults stumbled backwards, but quickly regained their balance. Ian smirked.    
  
“See? You didn’t need my help.” Cora threw a pebble at him in response.    
  
The door were wide open. There was just enough room between the remaining wooden boards for them to crawl through. Darian went in first. The smell of rotting wood and fungus hit him like a truck. He coughed heavily before covering his nose and mouth. He poked his head out the door.    
  
“This place must have been closed for a while if it smells this bad in here,” he said. 

“This building is old as hell. What did you freaking expect?” Cora said as she walked in. “Luckily, I came prepared.” The woman pulled out a hospital mask and placed it around her mouth and nose. Darian pouted.    
  
“Wha-” he started only to see her handing him a mask as well. He smiled and took the mask from her. “Thank you.”    
  
“I swear you guys are hopeless without me.”    
  
“You love us.” Cora rolled her eyes and went further inside. The two men were close behind. 

At first, it was mostly silent. The only sounds that echoed throughout the area was the squeaking floorboards and the footsteps the trio created. The further they went in, the more rot and fungus they found. Darian would crack jokes every once in a while to lighten the mood. Ian would laugh while Cora tried to hold back her smirk. They opened any door they could find and searched thoroughly for that secret entrance for the library. So far, no luck.    
  
“You think we should split up?” Ian asked while playing with some beakers.    
  
“And have the ghost pick us off one by one? No thanks,” Darian replied    
  
“But at this rate we’ll never find a way into the library.” Cora sighed.    
  
“Ian’s got a point. We’ve been looking for at least a hour,” she said. Darian hummed.    
  
“Maybe we should-” A loud crashed interrupted him. It came from outside the room they were currently in. Ian carefully moved towards the door. Cora started ruffling through her bag. Darian was trying to find someplace to hide. Ian slowly cracked opened the door. 

There outside the door was a man. He had to be at the very least in his eighties. He was kneeled down towards the floor picking up something from the ground. The trio stayed quiet; hoping to get the opportunity of surprise. They would have too if it wasn’t for Darian tripping on a stool. The man looked up and blinked at them. He slowly stood with items in hand and faced them. 

“Ah, you must be the guests the master mentioned,” he said. Ian blinked.    
  
“Uh...guests?” he asked. The older man nodded.    
  
“Yes. Master Zane did say we were going to have three guests for our party tonight.”    
  
“Master...Zane?” Cora asked. The man nodded and gave them a slight bow.    
  
“My name is Sir Robertson. Please, allow me to lead you to the ballroom,” he said and started to walk away. Darian looked towards the others.    
  
“Should we follow?” he asked.    
  
“Are you crazy? He’s talking about a ballroom... in an abandoned chem lab. That sounds super shady,” Cora said.   
  
“But he’s probably waiting for us down the hall. He’ll see us if we try to make a run for it.” The female cursed.    
  
“I hate it when you’re right. Fine; we’ll follow him until we find a better escape route.”    
  
“Or until we can knock him out,” Ian said. Darian glared at the other man.    
  
“Did you see how ancient he is? We’ll kill him.”    
  
“He might already be dead.”    
  
“You gotta stop watching horror movies with Jack.”    
  
“You should probably start.”   
  
“Boys!” Cora yelled gaining the other two’s attention. “No matter what, we gotta follow him. Let’s go before he gets suspicious.” The two friends reluctantly nodded. All three made their way out of the room they were in and were surprised by their surroundings.    
  
No longer was the hallway full of fungus and rotting wood. It was now decorated with lavish portraits on every wall. Marble statues stoof proud beside them. The floor and walls shined brightly with the faint candle light. The trio looked around in shock. 

“Okay, we may have breathed in something we shouldn’t have,” Cora said.    
  
“Or entered the Twilight Zone,” Darian and Ian said at the same time. Robertson cleared his throat to get their attention. They looked over to see the older man in a tux with coattails.    
  
“This way please,” he said and continued walking . 

The trio silently nodded and followed. The hallway became more and more lavish as they walked. It was as if they were suddenly in a castle. It couldn’t be possible. This place had been abandoned for years. It was supposed to be a chem lab with a hidden entrance to the library for crying out loud! But now.... It was as if the were in a castle. They stopped in front of a grand set of doors. They were made out of a dark wood with ivy drawing engraved into every aspect. Robertson faced them.    
  
“Master Zane has been looking forward to your presence. Might I add that you all look rather dashing for the evening. I can see why he is fond of you all,” he said and turned back to the door. The trio huddled together.    
  
“This is weird,” Darian said.    
  
“Very weird,” Ian replied.    
  
“Super weird,” Cora concluded.    
  
“Did that last sentence freak anyone else out?”    
  
“Yup.”   
  
“I mean what’s so about- Oh my god when the hell did this happen?!” Darian looked down at the himself and realized he was in a suit. An expensive looking one at that. He looked over to ee Ian in a similar suit. Ian looked down at himself with a similar reaction. 

“Okay we went from weird to downright freaky.” Cora said as she looked over herself. She was suddenly in a black evening gown that left her back revealed and flowed to her ankles. Their talking was interrupted as soon as they heard the doors open. They swallowed and looked at what was waiting for them.    
  
Inside was a grand ballroom full of guests wearing red, black, and white formal wear. They were all talking and laughing with each other. Some were dancing just for the fun of it. The trio looked in awe.    
  
“Ah! I see my guests have finally arrived!” a young male voice said. The trio looked to see a man in a black tux similar to Ian and Darian’s. He had long black hair and blue eyes. A silver crown adorned his head. Robertson bowed to him.    
  
“Master Zane. I hope you are enjoying your party,” he said. Zane laughed.    
  
“Of course I am! It’s gotten even better with these three here.” Cora tentatively raised her hand.   
  
“Um, Mis- I mean Master Zane, sir, but I’m sure there’s some mix-” she started.    
  
“Cora, please. You can just call me Zane. You are an important guest afterall.” She blinked.    
  
“H-How-?”    
  
“Come! All of you. There’s plenty of fun to go around!” Zane turned from them and went back to enjoying the party. Cora looked to her friends. 

“What do we do? What do we do?” she asked frantically. Her breathing was erratic. Her eyes wide and looking around shakily. Darian quickly placed his hands on her shoulders.   
  
“Cora. Cora listen to me. I need you to calm down okay? Breathe with me, alright?” he said gently. She nodded and worked with him to control her breathing. The young woman was eventually to breathe normally alone.    
  
“Thanks. This is just...not what I prepared for.”    
  
“I know. This is a lot to take in.”    
  
“But.. how do we get out of this? I don’t trust this situation at all.”    
  
“Play along. Stay in each other’s sight. Look for an exit,” Ian said. Cora nodded. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. At least it was a plan.   
  
“You’ll be fine Cora. I promise we won’t let anything happen to you.” Darian said. Cora slowly nodded.    
  
“Okay. Okay.” Ian frowned.    
  
“Should one of us stay with you?” he asked. Cora shook her head.    
  
“No. No. I’ll be okay. The plan won’t work if we stick together. We need to find a way out of this,” she said as calmly as she could. Ian wasn’t convinced. Darian leaned over to him and whispered.    
  
“I’ll keep a close eye on her from afar. Just focus on finding a way out.” The other nodded.    
  
The trio split and began to scout out the area. Ian managed to mostly stay on task. Not many nobles stopped him to talk, but he couldn’t help but feel like someone was constantly watching him. Cora was talking up a storm with everyone. They all loved her dress. She tried getting information out of them about anything going on. The place they were in. A way out. Who exactly Master Zane was. However, all of the answered she received were oddly cryptic and vague.    
  
“This place is special place. We come here for fun every year.”    
  
“There’s nothing really interesting outside. All of the fun is in here.”    
  
“Master Zane is such a delight.” 

The college student was tempted to pull her hair out. Darian would come by every couple of minutes to check on her, but she insisted she was fine. She didn't know how long she would be though. 

Eventually, servants came out to serve finger foods for all of the party guests. At first, the college trio denied any food offered to them. They did not trust this situation in the slightest, but then everyone started to talk about the food.    
  
“You must try this! It’s amazing.”    
  
“You must be hungry after your long trip here.”    
  
It only made things more suspicious. Darian was the first to crack. His stomach actually started growling. Pretty loudly at that. He didn’t even notice he was eating the food until it was too late. It was actually really good. It reminded him of his aunt’s cooking back home. He found himself eating more and more as time went on.

Cora was next. Some of the party goers were giving odd looks for not eating. The plan was to play along. She gave in and picked up some food. She had to admit she was impressed. The food rivaled some of her favorites from back home. She missed home a lot. She took a couple more pieces of food just to get that feeling again.    
  
Ian was a lot harder to get to eat. The servants had a hard time finding hm. He tried to keep it that way. It couldn’t last forever though. One of the party goers managed to spot him and grab his attention. They walked up to him and started a light conversation. It was mostly about his chosen study in college; which he was all too happy to talk about. His passion for engineering was truly a weakness. A servant casually walked up to him and offered food. For that brief moment, he had forgotten he was supposed to be careful about this place and ate. 

The night went on. The trip got lost in the conversations, food, and dancing. They forgot they were supposed to be looking for a way out. They forgot this place was dangerous. They just wanted to have some fun.    
  
A succession of loud thuds interrupted everyone’s thoughts. Everyone turned. In the center of the room was Master Zane. He had a grin on his face.    
  
“Ladies and Gentlemen. I hope you have been enjoying yourselves this evening. But at long last, the main event is about to begin,” he said. The guests all clapped. The trio reunited with each other.    
  
“What do you think is going on?” Cora asked picking up a piece of food to eat.    
  
“No Idea. I guess the purpose for this party,” Darian said leaning against her.    
  
“Should be interesting,” Ian said.    
  
“Before anything, I would like to honor our special guests for this evening. Tonight wouldn’t be possible without them,” Zane continued. Everyone in the room turned towards the college students and clapped. The three of them just waved awkwardly. Zane was looking towards them with glee in his eyes. They were also...glowing?    
  
“Now without further ado,” he said while walking up to the trio. The crowd parted to allow him easy access. It wasn’t long until he was in front of the three friends. “It’s time for the feast to begin.”    
  
The room darkened immediately. The warm atmosphere vanished. Darian felt a chill go up his spine. Everyone was looking at them. Their eyes were glowing a hungry red. He couldn’t look away. He snapped out of it once he felt a pull on his arm.    
  
“What are you just standing there for?! Run!” Ian shouted.    
  
Cora was well ahead of them. She was heading towards the door they came in. Ian was running while towing Darian behind him. Darian slowly started running on his own as his shock faded away. 

Once outside the ballroom, they saw that the beautiful hallway from before was gone. Back was the cold rotted fungus overgrown walls. Everything was like it was when they first entered this place. The trio ran blindly through the halls. They had no idea where they were running to. They only knew they had to run. Cora was trying all of the doors. If they couldn’t get out, they were going to have to hide. 

“Come on. Come on,” she muttered as she tried another door.    
  
“Cora, keep moving!” Ian yelled.    
  
“We can’t keep running like this!”    
  
“You can say that again,” a voice said right in front of them. The trio skidded to a halt to see Zane right in front of them. The man had a sly grin on his face. “Though it does amuse me, you are going to tire yourselves out.”    
  
“What do you want from us?!” Darian shouted while moving in front of Cora. The man chuckled.    
  
“I did say it was time for the feast to begin and you three do look rather tasty. Though... something’s missing.”    
  
Zane started to pace back and forth in front of them. He hummed to himself deep in thought. The trio was already backing away from him.    
  
“Ah Ha! I know what’s missing,” he said while snapping his fingers. The trio were suddenly encased in their own individual bubbles. They started to bang on their sudden prisons trying to get out. Zane was smiling at them. “I have to season you up a bit. But in order to do that, I need you all to be apart for a while.” He clapped his hands and the bubbles flew in different directions followed by the screams of their captors.    
  
The powerful man chuckled. “This is going to be fun.”

* * *

 

Darian was kicking at the bubble he was trapped in like his life depended on it. He had to get out. Find the others; especially Cora. Who knew what was going through her head right now? He needed to be there to calm her down. He had no time to waster. He was ready to give the bubble another kick before it popped on its own. He gave out a small yelp before he fell to the ground and landed on his tailbone.    
  
“Ow. Ow. That’s smarts. That’s gonna hurt for awhile,” he grumbled while standing up. He quickly looked around to see where he was. It looked like one of the research labs in the basement off the chem lab. He took a few deep breaths trying to calm his speeding heart.    
  
“Get upstairs. Find the others. Get out.”    
  
He repeated those phrases to himself as he started to look for a way upstairs. He made his way out of the research lab and into the dark hallway. He carefully made his way through; his whole body remaining tense. Ready to run at any second. He jumped at any sound he heard, but gave a sigh of relief when it turned out to be nothing. After a couple of minutes, Darian was getting closer to an open door. From this door, he was able to see electric sparks flying wildingly. Heard something...groaning? Possible help? He inched slowly towards the door and peeked inside.    
  
There was a hunched over figure in the room. It was huge and muscular. Darian was able to specify the sound he was hearing. It wasn’t groaning. It was a low growl. He was also able to hear this figure eating something. After it took a bite, sparks would fly. Was it eating wires? No. Too fleshy sounding. It was too dark to see. The more he stood there, the more terrifying the sounds became. Darian started to back away, but his foot got caught on a loose tile. He tripped and crashed into the wall behind him with a loud thud. The sparks stopped. All was quiet. Darian held his breath and remained as still as possible. 

Heavy footsteps made their way towards him. H was able to fully see what was inside. It took everything in Darian’s power not to shiver. Before him stood a komodo dragon the size of a bodybuilder. It’s scaled glowed a cyan blue. The same color ooze dripped from its mouth. Thanks to the light coming from the creature, Darian was able to see some blood splattered on its mouth. Its eyes looked to be sewn shut. He could only assume it was blind. It started to sniff towards him. Darian’s heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold his breath. It came closer and closer. It now stood over Darian. He looked paler than any ghost. 

Run.    
  
Run.    
  
RUN. RUN. RUN!    
  
He let go of his breath and quickly crawled away from the creature. He bolted down the hall and kicked up some loosened tiles with him. The komodo dragon roared and gave chase. Darian panted as he ran. His eyes darted everywhere. Stairs. Stairs. Stairs. Must find the stairs. He heard a low guttural growl behind him. It wasn’t long before something bright, sparky, and cyan flew pass his head. It the floor. The tiles started to dissolve. He ran faster. Where the hell were those stairs?!    
  
Darian saw an opening to his left. He made the sharp turn and went for it. His heart jumped for joy as his prayers were answered. Stairs.  He wasted no time running up the steps. The creature was right behind him. Hopefully he would be able to find somewhere to hide on the next floor. He stumbled as he rounded the second corner and got ready to climb some more.

He froze. Eyes widened in disbelief. This couldn’t have happened. There was no way. He wasn’t supposed to die here.    
  
The stairs in front of him were blocked by fallen debris. He had to stop running. His eyes started to fill with tears. It was over. He could hear the creature closing in on him. He had to accept his fate. He closed his eyes in fear. His body started to shake. A chuckle came from behind him. His eyes widened.    
  
“Now you’re just right,” the voice said.    
  


Something grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back. The last thing Darian remembered...

 

...was a piercing pain in his neck.

* * *

 

Ian was walking through the halls. The bubble had taken him to a place filled with book stacks. He knew he had to be somewhere in the library. When his bubble had popped, he started walking around. He needed something to defend himself with. One he did that, he would be able to find the others and protect them as well. Though, he had no idea what he would be able to use in a library.    
  
As he walked, he swore he heard some noises coming from behind the book stacks. Every time he looked, however, nothing was there. He walked around more carefully after each noice check. The noise happened again. Louder this time. It was a giggle. A lot of small giggled. It was coming from all over from every direction.    
  
“He’s a smart one,” one voice said.    
  
“A curious one.”    
  
“A tasty one.”    
  
“I want first bite!”    
  
“No me!”    
  
Ian started moving faster. Where the hell was a decent weapon? The giggles followed him.    
  
“So lost in his brain. Can’t think fast enough.”    
  
“Yummy scattered brain.”    
  
“No wonder the girl usually has the plan.”    
  
Ian stopped running and grabbed a random book. He swung it around wildly. It hit nothing. The giggles continued.    
  
“He’s panicking.”    
  
“He’s scared.”    
  
“He can’t think of anything.”    
  
“He’s useless.”    
  
“He’s terrified.”    
  
Tears fell down his face. He continued to swing. Why? Ian had face many enemies before. Bigger and stronger than him. So why?    
  
Why was he so scared of something that wasn’t there? The voices continued.    
  
“So scared.”    
  
“So much panic.”    
  
“He’s gotten even tastier.”    
  
He was backed into a corner. He held the book tightly. The tormenting voices didn’t stop. Suddenly, a different voice waltzed into his ears.    
  
“He’s perfect,” a male voice said behind him.    
  
A sharp pain pierced his neck and everything went dark.

* * *

 

Cora was panting. Her hands were on her knees as she leaned against a wall. She was in some grand entryway. She assumed it was for the library. She didn’t know where the others were. She didn’t know where her stuff was. She didn’t know what she was dealing with. She had no plan. She was terrified. It was talking everything in her to maintain some sort of calm.    
  
“Well well, looks like you’re the only one left,” a familiar voice said. Cora’s head jerked up. There in the middle of the staircase was Zane. Behind him was unconscious Ian and Darian in a singular bubble. Zane was grinning a sharp and toothy smile as he walked down the stairs.    
  
“There two were such a delectable treat. Now then...” The doors shut all around them. Cora’s eye widened. “How will you taste?”    
  
Her breathing heightened. Her heart raced. Her calm was gone. She felt as if she was going to die. Her heart was going to explode in her chest any moment. She clutched her chest tightly. The world started to spin. She closed her eyes. She needed to keep it together.    
  
“Oi. Oi!” she heard. She opened her eyes. The room was now dully lit. Zane was right in front of her, but his eyes were filled with concern instead of malice.    
  
“Breathe for me. Deep. Slow breaths. I’ll count with you, okay?” he said softly.    
  
Everything in Cora told her not to trust him. He has been terrifying them all night. He was a danger. He was the reason she’s in the state she’s in right now. Yet, something also told her to listen. She breathed with his counting. Her heart calmed down. The world stopped moving around her.    
  
“You okay now?” he asked. She nodded. He sighed. “Shit. Sorry about all this. If I knew you were prone to panic attacks, I wouldn’t have picked you three.”    
  
“P-Picked?” she said.    
  
“It’s Halloween night. I take joy in scaring humans in a spectacular fashion on this night. You three looked like the perfect ones to play with.”    
  
“So all of this was some type of prank?”    
  
“Pretty much. You all were never in any real danger.” Cora tightened her fists.    
  
“Is this some joke to you?! We truly thought we were going to die. There’s a thing known as pushing too fa-” Zane’s eyes turned red.    
  
“You do realize I’m not human right?” Cora immediately shut up. He sighed again. His eyes returned to normal. “I really am sorry. I love scaring people, not nearly killing them.” Zane waved his hand and an apple appeared in his palm. He handed it to her. “Here. A token of good faith.”    
  
Cora took the apple and inspected it. Seemed normal enough. She took a bite. Zane smiled.    
  
“None of you are going to remember the terrifying things that happened here. Not really anyway. It’ll just be a bad dream. You okay with that?” Cora paused.    
  
“Can we at least remember coming here to explore? I want to do it properly one day.” Zane chuckled.    
  
“I’ll make it so.” Cora smiled and then yawned. Her eyes drooped as she leaned against the wall. It wasn’t long until she fell asleep.    
  
Zane sighed and went to grab his chin. He didn’t get the fill he wanted, but he still had fun. That’s all that mattered. He paused when he heard a hiss.

“I didn’t think you’d show up, Master Jack,” he said.    
  
Jack was standing against a door in his green hooded cloak. His eyes glowed green. He was glaring at Zane.     
  
“I didn’t think there would be a vampire who would ignore my warning, but here we are,” he said. Zane kept his distance.    
  
“Ah, so that’s what the hissing was. Thought you were leading me to the perfect targets.”    
  
“I am impressed you stopped and showed kindness in the end. Most would just keep going.” Zane scoffed.    
  
“I’m a vampire, not a monster. As I said, they’ll wake up thinking this was a bad dream. That’s all.” Jack hummed and got off the door. He walked past Zane and stopped a few feet away. 

 

“I’ll let this slide this time, but do take my warnings seriously next time,” he said and vanished. Zane let out the breath he wasn’t even aware he was holding. He held his chin and moved his pumpkin mask to the upper side of his head. Kane sighed.    
  
“I hope you had a Happy Halloween too, Master Jack.” 

* * *

 

“Jack! Over here!” Cora yelled waving over her friend. Jack smiled and made his way over to their table.    
  
“Hey guys, how was your Halloween?” he asked. Darian grinned.    
  
“We went to the abandoned lab and library. We didn’t find a way into the library, but the lab was pretty cool,” he replied.    
  
“There’s like a lot of fungus in there. Maybe you could use them for reference for your special effects Jack,” Ian said finishing his drink.    
  
“Really?”    
  
“Yeah, we’re thinking about going back. Maybe during daylight hours so we can see better,” Cora said.    
  
“Good idea.”    
  
“Careful with the fungus though. I had a wicked nightmare when I got back,” Darian said.    
  
“Same,” Ian said.    
  
“Something also bit the hell out of their necks too. Left pretty cool scars though.”    
  
Jack looked and saw two circular like scars on their necks. He hummed. That vampire was clever. He’d have to bring this to Hyde.    
  
“So, how was seeing your dad?” Ian asked. Jack grinned.    
  
“Pretty good. Just being near his grave made the holiday better.”    
  
The group of friends continued to talk. In a tree not far away, Kane sat behind its leaves and watched the exchange. A dark green apple sat in his hands. He grinned.    
  
“May we one day meet again, you wonderful humans,” he said and took a bite. 

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY HALLOWEEN


End file.
